Collapsible coiffure covering

ABSTRACT

A hairdo covering structure to fit over and protect a woman&#39;&#39;s coiffure without disturbing same, the structure having a plurality of lightweight and elastic curved frame members rotatively attached at their respective ends to allow the frame members to be collapsed or expanded to provide spacing between the respective central portions thereof. A thin sheet of covering material is attached to the outer surface of the frame members to provide the desired wind and moisture protection when the structure is supported and held for the user&#39;&#39;s head by at least the elasticity of the structure between the rotatively mounted ends of the frame members.

mted States Patent n91 [111 3,708,803 Teaff 51 Jan. 9, 1973 COLLAPSIBLE COIFFURE COVERING 489,382 9/1918 France ..2/4 485,640 10/1953 Italy ...2/177 [76] Inventor. Miriam M. Teaii, 3l33 Volk Street,

g Beach Calif 90808 465,169 8/1951 Italy ..2/177 [22] Filed: July 22, 1970 Primary Examiner.lordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-George H. Krizmanich [21] Appl 57181 Attorney-John I-Ioltrichter, Jr.

[52] U.S.Cl. ..2/198 ABSTRACT Int. CL ..A42b A hairdo coverin g structure to fit over and protect a [58] Field 3 b g 132/46 woman's coiffure without disturbing same, the struc- 1 8 2 4 ture having a plurality of lightweight and elastic 56 R i Ci d curved frame members rotatively attached at their 1 e erences te respective ends to allow the frame members to be col- UNITED STATES PATENTS lapsed or expanded to provide spacing between the respective central portions thereof. A thin sheet of 2,080,786 5/1937 covering material is attached to the outer surface of $5 3 33 4/1965 the frame members to provide the desired wind and g g moisture protection when the structure is supported 2675558 4/1954 and held for the users head by at least the elasticity of the structure between the rotatively mounted ends of FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS the frame members- 528,040 6/1955 Italy ..L ..2/180 5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAH 9 1975 SHEET 1 OF 2 Mmom M Teclff INVENTOR.

BY. WK 1.

ATTORNEY PATENTED JAN 9 I975 SH'EEI 2 OF 2 Miriam INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

COLLAPSIBLE COIFFURE COVERING Up to the present time, there has existed the so called hair net andhair cover arrangements which are generally quite limited in their use. For instance, the hair net is usually made of fine material such as nylon net in a color that will be inconspicuous against the users hair, and the net is placed on the hair to keep the hair in place. The hair cover is usually made of nylon film in bag form and covers all the hair to protect the hair from dust or water.

In both of the above arrangements, stress is laid on their utility and not on their attractiveness and decorativeness. In todays market place, the lack of these very important considerations lead to a very limited demand.

In view of the foregoing considerations of the prior art, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved collapsible coiffure covering not subject to the disadvantages of the prior art.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an extremely portable and lightweight collapsible hairdo covering device which not only protects the users hairdo form the elements but is also very attractive.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible coiffure covering which may be fabricated with different attractive materials, both transparent and opaque.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible coiffure covering which may be mounted on a pair of eyeglasses held to the head by a scarf as well as held by its natural elasticity between the ends of the devices rotatively mounted curved frame members.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a relatively economical-to-fabricate collapsible coiffure covering having rib members which can be gathered together while not in use to form a compact and easy-to-carry structure.

According to the present invention, a collapsible coiffure covering is provided for attractively protecting a womans hairdo from the elements and which in cludes a plurality of rib-like frame members of relatively light-weight and elastic material, the members having respective convex portions along their respective longitudinal lengths. End means are provided for fastening respective ends of the frame members to movably engage the frame members with each other, and form means are also included for holding and stabilizing each of the frame members when the frame members are spread to position the convex portions thereof at intervals of predetermined distances. A relatively thin covering is attached under tension to the outer surface of the frame members where the frame members are spread apart and held by the end means and the form means, whereby the covering is supported on the woman's head over the hairdo by at least the elasticity of the convex portions of the frame members.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by making reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating one side of the collapsible coiffure covering embodying the present invention in its unfolded configuration;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing one of two end means or fasteners by which frame or rib members are attached to one another;

FIG. 2' is a view similar to FIG. 1 but without the decorative portion thereof;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of one of the frame or rib members, taken along line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of one of the frame or rib members, taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the end means or fastener and the ribs attached thereto taken along line 55 in FIG. 2 in its folded configuration;

FIGS. 6 and 6' illustrate other embodiments of the collapsible coiffure covering in accordance with the present invention and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of still a further embodiment of the present invention in which a tie or scarf may be passed through a cut-out portion of each end piece for decorative and holding purposes.

Referring again to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown one side of the coiffure cover of the present invention in its open or in use configuration. In this figure, the rib members are generally numbered la through li, a pair of end means or fasteners are generally designated 2, and a thin covering or sheet spread between the ribs 1 is identified by reference numeral 3.

In this figure, nine frame members or ribs are shown, but the number of frame members is optional. Each frame member 1a Ii has its required convexportion, and the foremost frame member 1a is so formed to be suitable to be positioned near the hairline on the forehead. It may preferably me made wider and stronger than the other frame members (see FIG. 4). The remainder of the frame members are so sprung that they do not touch the hairdo and support the covering 3 thereabove. Frame member 1i, in this embodiment, is in contact with the back of the users neck and serves to help support the covering arrangement so that it remains steady.

The materials used for the frame members 1 are comparatively light in weight and are preferably colored or colorable since, where the covering 3 is transparent, they are easily viewed through the covering. Also, the members 1 should be elastic or resilient enough to be sprung, as mentioned previously. Further, it may be desirable to reinforce the elasticity and strength of these members. For example, if the frame members are plastic, it may be desirable to set a steel wire (not shown) within them. Although the cross sections of the frame members are shown to be rectangular, it should be understood that round or square ribs may be used as well.

The covering 3 may comprise panels or sheetsspread so that they will have tension adequate to stretch and hold them flat while in use. These panels or sheets are preferably of thin plastic or fabric material and are. bonded by conventional means to the'outer surface of each of the convex frame members I. The covering material should be thin and soft enough to be gathered at one place when the frame members are folded up while not in use.

The fasteners 2 are shown in FIG. 2 to include protective members 4 and decorative members 5, the latter comprising ridges generally designated 7. FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 2 but with the decorative member removed. The same kind of fastener is fastened to the other end of the frame members 1 and may best be viewed in the cross sectional view of FIG. 5 which is a schematical sectional view of the end means or fasteners seen from the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIG. 2 with all the frame members 1 folded up. As seen in this figure, the frame members or ribs are rotatively held by screw 9 between the protective member 4 and the decorative member 5 in such a way that a compressive force tends to hold the ribs in their collapsed configuration. In order to prevent the possibility of undesired entanglement of the users hair, the screw 9 does not protrude beyond the inner face of the protective members 4.

In FIGS. 2 and 4, the escapement or detent for the frame members is shown, but since the most forward frame member 1a is in the same position both in use and when not in use, it is desirable that it be fixed to the decorative members 5.

With reference to FIG. 3, frame member 1e is shown supported between ridges 7d, 72 and the protective part 4 as seen from the direction of arrows 33 in FIG. 2. This arrangement is repeated for all frame members except the first, 1a. The ridges or teeth protrude toward the protective part 4 and serve to determine the position of each frame member and to hold and fix each of them properly as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Accordingly, the ridges 7 should preferably be of a relatively soft or resilient material such as some plastics in order to allow each of the frame members 1 to move.

In this embodiments, the attaching of the frame members 1 to the protective members and to the dectorative members is accomplished by the screw 9; however, this configuration may be changed and any conventional method may be substituted if it allows proper movement of the frame members.

FIGS. 6 and 6 are illustrations of collapsible coiffure coverings constituting additional embodiments of the present invention. Whereas the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is most suitable for use with short cut hair, the embodiment seen in FIG. 6 is more suitable for long hair by furnishing only six frame members 12a 12f, the last frame member l2fhaving attached to it a piece of decorative cloth 13 to improve the design and appearance of the covering. FIG. 6, on the other hand, shows an embodiment in which a pair of sunglasses 11 is attached to decorative members 5 of the end means 2. In most other respects, this last embodiment is similar to that shown in FIG. 6 but with a differently styled decorative fabric 13'.

It is to be stressed that the end means or fastening arrangements 2 shown in the above-described embodiments need not take the form shown. As example of still another form is shown in FIG. 7 where an end piece 15 is fabricated from a sheet of plastic, for example, with an inner protective portion 17 and an outer decorative portion 19, the outer portion having been folded at a central area 2l and a pin 23 passed through the facing folded portions to act as an axle for five reduced thickness ribs or convex bands 25a 25e which are similar to ribs 1 in the previously described embodiments. This construction gives a flatter look and may be found by many to be more attractive. Detent ridges, not shown, may be included on the inner surface of either or both of the facing portions 17 and 19 to help properly register the ribs 25 in their proper places. Also, it will be noted that a tie or scarf may be run through the cut-out portion 27 of the end piece 15 for decorative and holding purposes.

It should be realized that the materials specifically identified are not the only ones usable in constructing the various embodiments of the present invention and that other materials generally considered to be suitable for similar applications may be substituted. For example, metals such as aluminum and others may be used for the ribs. Likewise, any prior art process for fabricating the elements of the invention may be used.

From the foregoing, it should be evident that a very advantageous, attractive and economical-to-manufacture collapsible coiffure covering has been described, and although only a few embodiments have been presented, the invention is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodiments within the attainment of one having ordinary skill in the art and without the use of the inventive faculty.

What is claimed is:

1. In a collapsible coiffure covering having a fabric covering supported above a womens hairdo by a plurality of convex-curved rib-like frame members pivotally held at their respective ends adjacent a wearers ears, the improvement comprising:

unitarily constructed end pieces each including a disk member with a U-shaped cut in a lower portion thereof defining a semicircular tab and an inverted semicircular opening, said tab being bent outwardly from said disk member along a line between the ends of said cut and being bent upwardly forming an upstanding L-shaped outer decorative portion with an upper section essentially parallel to the plane of said member; and

an axle member disposed between and attached to the upper portion of said disk member and said upper section of said tab, said axle member in each of said disk members extending through holes at said respective ends of said frame members.

2. In an improvement according to claim 1,;wherein the inner surface of said outer decorative portion includes inwardly extending detent ridge means for registration of said frame members.

3. In an improvement according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the upper portion of said disk member facing said outer decorative portion includes detent ridge means for registration of said frame members.

4. In an improvement according to claim 1, wherein the facing surfaces of said outer decorative portion and said disk member include detent ridge means for registration of said frame members.

5. In an improvement according to claim 1, wherein five of said frame members are pivotally held by said end pieces. 

1. In a collapsible coiffure covering having a fabric covering supported above a women''s hairdo by a plurality of convex-curved rib-like frame members pivotally held at their respective ends adjacent a wearer''s ears, the improvement comprising: unitarily constructed end pieces each including a disk member with a U-shaped cut in a lower portion thereof defining a semicircular tab and an inverted semicircular opening, said tab being bent outwardly from said disk member along a line between the ends of said cut and being bent upwardly forming an upstanding L-shaped outer decorative portion with an upper section essentially parallel to the plane of said member; and an axle member disposed between and attached to the upper portion of said disk member and said upper section of said tab, said axle member in each of said disk members extending through holes at said respective ends of said frame members.
 2. In an improvement according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of said outer decorative portion includes inwardly extending detent ridge means for registration of said frame members.
 3. In an improvement according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the upper portion of said disk member facing said outer decorative portion includes detent ridge means for registration of said frame members.
 4. In an improvement according to claim 1, wherein the facing surfaces of said outer decorative portion and said disk member include detent ridge means for registration of said frame members.
 5. In an improvement according to claim 1, wherein five of said frame members are pivotally held by said end pieces. 